Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

52 minutes ago, theswede said:

Well, many of the games (the ones that are more close to be finished) looks great in my opinion (skiing or cornhole). But as you know, everyone is pushing them to show more gameplay/footage, so they have been showing a lot of games that they hardly started working on, or just have some early test/placeholders (for example fox game), just for us to get an idea of what games will be coming in the future, so what would you prefer, that they keep all those games under wraps until 99% finished, or give some work in progress shots and info a long the way, you can’t have it both ways?

Totally agree that Cornhole and Skiing shine. Showing work in progress might be pleasing some folks, but it can also leave people disappointed and irritated (e.g. wondering if Amico isn't for them). Since that presentation seemed not to be aimed at Amico's target audience as far as I understand it, in this case I'd prefer as much content as available to be shown. It may help the games to become better and issues to be resolved. Certainly it often is a question of style or taste (pixel art or a camera zooming constantly in and out as examples) . Yeah, you can't have it both ways and you can't make it right for everyone. 

18 hours ago, Juicero said:

I agree with many of your points here, the biggest being the way that the games look. As you said, many of them look like games my younger brothers would download and play on my phone when we were younger. Also, funny comparison grudge, but I don't think comparing Amico games in 2020 to games from the 80's is a good thing haha, that's more like pointing out that the Amico games are of low quality in 2020 😅

I wouldn't have gone so far implying someone rated the Amico games as of low quality when he actually never did this. 

Hi Folks!,

Just got through reading the last 20 pages or so that I'm behind.

Wow!  Amazing that so many posts and pages have been happening this week.  Really great to see the discussion, thoughts, opinions and new faces.

Will try to get through and answer/comment on as many posts as possible.

A few quick things I'd like to point out from my own perspective.  You'll notice a theme with the presentation and most of the games.  Diversity in style & gameplay!  Some people are "disappointed" by the graphics and others LOVE them.  Some folks understand that there is still a long way to go with some of the games, some people assume this is the final look.  Some people think the gameplay is too simple or basic and some are worried they are too complex.  But whether you agree or disagree, like or dislike the look of some games or think the system is for you or is NOT for you... one thing you would all probably agree with... there are a LOT of different styles and experiences for a LOT of different people.

Diversity for all ages, styles, skill levels & tastes.

Isn't that the point?

I think @cmart604 said it best when he noted that not every game released must be liked by every person in order for a system to be successful.  It's completely okay not to like certain games, certain looks, certain gameplay, etc.  Nothing at all wrong with that.  Not going to hold that opinion against someone or tell them their opinion of our graphics and gameplay is wrong.  But to say the system is going to fail because in their opinion they don't like the graphics is naive and bit "the world revolves around me" type of "in the bubble" thinking.  The other big thing I believe some folks might be forgetting is the pricing.  Trying to compare a $7 Amico game to a normal $60 game is apples to oranges.  Even a $20 game!  Although no one has mentioned that a game like Rigid Force Redux sells for $20 on the Switch yet the Amico version will be half of that AND include multiplayer.  Also surprised no one pointed out yet that only a few weeks before the Special Event someone here (I forget who?) posted that game... within DAYS we had spoken to the publisher (who was a good friend of Hans and had already pre-ordered a Founders Edition in Jan!) and within a week we had a deal on the table.  That was pretty amazing and all because of the fine folks here in this thread!  Pretty cool!

Moving on... @jaybird3rd stated it perfectly when he said that the only people who knew who the target audience was for the event was us.  The event had many different purposes aimed at a variety of different people.  Our eventual TARGET AUDIENCE was not one of them.  We won't be advertising to those folks until closer to launch.  And now that we've established those purposes through the Special Event we can move on to other things.  What did we show?  Amazing retail support around the world, incredible developers, games keep looking better every time we show them, some behind the scenes folks at Intellivision, showing a working console and completed hardware and how far we've come even with the massive difficulties of COVID, etc... and of course, to officially announce the delay.  Even the Evel Knievel interview was extremely important for reasons in regards to certain licenses and people we are currently negotiating with.  Now that all the "legitimacy" business was put to rest (no matter how much the whiny jealous beaten haters stomp their feet and try to declare it was a failure) we can start showing MORE of the games, MORE of the unique ways to use the controller, etc.

About 45,000 views on the Special Event and only around 200 dislikes.  That's less than .5%.  One half of one percent.  I'll take that ratio any day of the week.  Hundreds upon hundreds of positive comments and probably around 5% negative comments.  Again... I'll take that ratio anytime.  Doing better than Google Stadia in that department with the billion $'s they spent and massive infrastructure and worldwide marketing.  



Anyway... from our perspective it was a huge success and accomplished (for us) exactly what we had set out to do. 

Thanks again for the great discussion and thoughts this week.  Will try to go through them all and give my thoughts and comments as well.

Appreciate the interest!!!

16 hours ago, theswede said:

Oh, sorry, I thought you were joking around, so I played along with it. 
 

Yes, one of the target audiences for Amico is young families with kids between 4-7, but also people (of all ages) that mostly play casual games on mobile, that’s why so much effort is put into making the games simple to understand and play. 

Yeah, I guess my other posts were a bit hard to understand for some. "one" is a big keyword here, because I was saying it looks geared only for those age groups. If the games are this simplistic and easy to understand, a person would turn to something else that is much cheaper, most likely their cell phone since it is something they already have and requires no purchases (other than in-game purchases which is a given). When the games looks this unpolished and uninspired, 2 months out from the original console release date, that's a bit worrisome to someone who thought the console would actually be something worthwhile.

15 hours ago, PeterPepper said:

No guys. This is Juicero. 😁

 

https://fortune.com/2017/09/01/juicero-is-shutting-down/https://fortune.com/2017/09/01/juicero-is-shutting-down/

 

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/juicero-bare-hands/

 

 

This is exactly where I got this name, LOL, was reading an article about it when I made this account. 

On 8/5/2020 at 11:23 AM, Gamemoose said:

I got to watch/listen to most of the show while I was working on setting up a PC.  My cell signal crapped out at the EWJ section, so I missed that.  I think a local tower is getting worked on as my US Cell phone and a Verizon hot spot I was setting up both didn't get diddly for bars.

 

Anyway....I am getting really interested in this system.  The classic play with some modern polish can make for some fun times.  Seeing how Skiing was played made me wonder how much of a learning curve using the dial (as in turning it rather than pushing a direction) is going to be as many of us have gotten used to a D-Pad over the years. 

Thanks for watching!

You "push" in the direction you want to go.  So, somewhat similar to a D-Pad, but the disc also turns/spins as well.  Makes it a lot easier to move around.  But you do need to PRESS down in order for it to register.

 

On 8/5/2020 at 11:23 AM, squirrelgotdead said:

Congrats to all involved! A little something for everyone hopefully. . .just like the plans for the system.

That was definitely the idea.  A little something for everyone.

Hey, quick question for everyone. I'm in my mid-forties, loved my Intellivision as a kid, and Astrosmash was certainly a favorite. I see the new versions of those classic games online, and I'm wondering if I'm the only one who's finding it hard to follow the action. With the new Astrosmash, for example, when you blast and smash a rock, fragments fall down, but they're not dangerous to the ship if they're small. I've found myself thinking "oh no, you're dead!" while watching, only to find the ship survives. I guess I'm having trouble distinguishing between background special effects and foreground action.  Perhaps after a little time playing the games you quickly become accustomed, but there's a lot more action going on than in the original versions!

On 8/5/2020 at 12:18 PM, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Yeah, Im sure Tommy is beating himself up about the audio and that is a self inflicted wound, but it will be forgotten with time, 

This was the first time I heard about audio sync issues.  Definitely not on our side.  I imagine not on YouTube's either as I didn't see other complaining during the stream (and the majority here said they didn't have an issue either)?  But who knows... maybe there was a YouTube issue in your area or something?  Not sure.  I just know it wasn't anything to do with us and we hadn't seen that complaint from others.

On 8/5/2020 at 12:18 PM, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Im still on board but may be a little more picky about what I may be playing since if my eyes dont like it, I simply cant enjoy it.  Im very visually oriented, just ask my wife, I lived in the same area all my life and still dont know street names or anything, its all by landmark.

 

So as I said earlier , EWJ came in and saved the day so Im good.

Totally understandable!  Yeah... if you don't like the look of a game, it's harder to enjoy.  This is why we have so many different art styles and different designs, experiences, etc. 

On 8/5/2020 at 12:32 PM, gogamego said:

Do you think the Hot Wheels game will be brand new or do you think Side Swipers will get the license?

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
 

Rebranding Sideswipers with a bunch of cool stuff.

On 8/5/2020 at 1:40 PM, Jake67 said:

This will be a strange answer, but I’ll explain it... and I’m not being a smart-aleck: the Skip functionality on Skiing that Tommy played.

 

What killed console gaming for me was all the wasted time to get to actual game play on a lot of titles, especially the major titles. You start the game and you’re forced to watch screens (each game session) telling you who made the game, who published the game, etc. The length of these screens on some games got ridiculous, although I understand part of that could sometimes be related to loading before game play could be begin. 

 

And if you’re new to a game (Forza was the one that was the last straw for me), you get a forced walk-through of tasks until you’re free to play on your own. That’s great for newcomers, but why can’t vets of the franchise get right to the action or some “free play”? 

 

My game time is limited... I just want to play a game.

 

So when I heard Tommy say “Skip”, that truly was the one thing that triggered my attention the most. If there’s any consideration by the Intellivision team related to getting people to game play as quickly as possible, I shall be forever grateful and a long-time supporter of the Amico.

It's the little things!

Simple details like this make the UI & UX give a different "vibe" than most.

On 8/5/2020 at 1:47 PM, bigdaddygamestudio said:

I think going forward Tommy should redo what he did with that skying part, and do that with all the previews. It should be him, with the amico, talking with us and showing us games and that is it.  Hes got a great personality and lets be honest, we all really just want to see gameplay.  All that other fluff and interviews is not going to make anyone sit up and notice anything.

Yep!  You started to see me do similar things back in Feb/March before COVID hit.  Now it is difficult to show multiple people in a room without offending someone.  

The "fluff and interviews" actually DID make a lot of people sit up and notice.  For many different reasons.  All part of the intention and certain audience of the video.  Mission Accomplished!

On 8/5/2020 at 1:51 PM, jaybird3rd said:

Well, I think it's important to remember that we (meaning the people who frequent AtariAge and other similar communities) are not the primary audience for presentations like this, just as we've long acknowledged that we're not the primary audience for the console itself.  Our community is simply too small for that.  Any last-minute developments which prompted the delay might not seem that important to us, but it was decided that they were important enough to the primary audience to justify waiting the extra day; if that weren't the case, I doubt that the team would have waited.  Personally, I think the one-day delay wasn't all that big of a deal, and that it will be quickly forgotten.  As I understand it, the "extra" countdown at the beginning was a YouTube livestream thing; the people watching it on replay (which will probably be most of them) won't ever see it.

 

For whatever it's worth, I was impressed by the presentation.  The Amico team have clearly made significant progress under difficult circumstances, they showed a good mix of different games, and the games that were shown all appeared to be well-executed for the kinds of games that they are.  Whether the art style appeals or not is up to the individual players' tastes, but granting that the games are still works in progress, I didn't have any problem with what I saw.  To me, the platform—particularly the controllers—will be what sets apart the overall experience of playing these games from the smartphone games and flash games that they're often compared to.  With most smartphone games, you don't usually have the ability to play together in front of a shared TV, or with physical controllers, or with multiple screens.  It may be possible to cobble together expansions and add-ons (at extra cost and complexity!) which would give you most of that, but then you're not really comparing the Amico to a typical smartphone gaming experience anymore, nor would that experience be available for all games, or as seamless or as consistent as what you can have with a platform inherently designed for local multiplayer.  Flash games, too, had limits that the Amico won't have: most of them had to be played on a PC, with a mouse, on a single (relatively low-resolution) monitor screen, and usually within a Web browser.  Again, not an apples-to-apples comparison with gaming on a modern console.

 

I also liked that the presentation took the time to introduce the teams behind the Amico and its library of games.  It was very nice to get to "meet" them, particularly the international development teams, and I'm looking forward to the different styles and sensibilities that they will bring to the Amico.  It was good to see them for another reason ... one of the things about the tiresome trolls we've all had to deal with is that they're largely disconnected from the consequences of their behavior.  They operate as if they're impersonally racking up achievements in a video game, usually without ever having to reveal their own identities, which is really dangerous.  It's useful to be reminded that there are real people on the receiving end of such behavior, people who do have to live with those consequences, long after the trolls have moved on to their next targets in search of their next dopamine high.

 

Looking on the bright side, I hope that the delayed release, as unavoidable as it is given the circumstances, will at least give them the time that they need to develop an even deeper launch catalog.  That will become especially important once the first Amico players begin to look beyond the pack-ins.

Fantastic post.

Really great.

On 8/5/2020 at 1:57 PM, PeterPepper said:

Also, I liked Finnegan the Fox. I am guessing I am probably one of the few people who liked it. It looks fun and if it has a good plot I am all for it. 

This tests off the charts with a younger audience and very high with gamers from the late 80's/early 90's.

On 8/5/2020 at 1:57 PM, PeterPepper said:

From an overall video perspective, I liked that they incorporated the developers into the presentation as well as the staff. People in the chat seemed to be bored of it because they wanted EWJ footage but I actually liked this aspect. I think it was different because it showed the passion of the people hired and partnering with IE, I think its important to believe in the vision. 

Yep!  That was the goal.  The only person really talking about Amico from the inside over the past 3 years is me.  Wanted to show how excited some of the hundreds of other people working on it felt as well.

On 8/5/2020 at 2:05 PM, bigdaddygamestudio said:

come on, keep it real, blowing smoke helps no one. the audio was 10 to 15 seconds behind the video, thats umm not good.. So lets be real, at that point it was just disaster management. Im sure Tommy and his team are pissed and to be honest it is really a YouTube upload issue as Im sure their local version is spot on. Im sure going forward they will upload and preview content on a secret account the night before to make sure upload is good.  EWJ saved the day though so they just will move on and do better next time

We weren't pissed at all.  The upload was perfectly fine.  Had it up there and tested hours before the event.  Sorry that you had an issue.  Must have been super frustrating for you at the time. 

On 8/5/2020 at 2:23 PM, GrudgeQ said:

Bomb Squad is shaping up to be a little like one of my favorite local party games "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes". I never was too keen on the original because of the mechanics but I am getting more & more excited for this one

Yeah... Bomb Squad is turning out to be something very special and really shows off the uniqueness of what Amico is capable of!

On 8/5/2020 at 2:52 PM, GrudgeQ said:

Just a couple of pics of the prototype menu for the Amico. I like they are keeping the interface super simple but it has little video previews, player count & rough time to play a round. You can see where they are going with it generally

 

 

We created that temp menu last year for E3.  Over a year ago.  John Riggs, Metal Jesus, etc. all saw it, picked games with it and played.  Embarrassing to those folks claiming we are "faking" things or don't have a system running on hardware.

On 8/5/2020 at 2:59 PM, Intellivision Master said:

 

Doing an interview with him on Wednesday!

On 8/5/2020 at 3:11 PM, GrudgeQ said:

Some screen caps for various games: AstroSmash - I like that they mentioned you can use your shields to bounce asteroids onto your opponents in versus mode. I always appreciate a little touch of evil in a game

 

Still LOTS of work to go on this one.  You'll notice the 3 different times we've shown it, it's gotten better and more detailed.  And will keep getting better and better!  Especially, now that we have even more time to make it great.

And remember... a FREE pack-in that comes with EVERY Amico system.  Anyone who says this is a "Flash" game has clearly never really played a flash game.  I understand people may not like the art style, but they should get more accurate and better references to make their point. 

26 minutes ago, インテレビジョン said:

Hey, quick question for everyone. I'm in my mid-forties, loved my Intellivision as a kid, and Astrosmash was certainly a favorite. I see the new versions of those classic games online, and I'm wondering if I'm the only one who's finding it hard to follow the action. With the new Astrosmash, for example, when you blast and smash a rock, fragments fall down, but they're not dangerous to the ship if they're small. I've found myself thinking "oh no, you're dead!" while watching, only to find the ship survives. I guess I'm having trouble distinguishing between background special effects and foreground action.  Perhaps after a little time playing the games you quickly become accustomed, but there's a lot more action going on than in the original versions!

I felt the same, also with Moon Patrol. Something that stopped me from playing the demo more frequently than I would have. 

On 8/5/2020 at 3:14 PM, GrudgeQ said:

Armor Battle - lots of cool tanks and unique weapons going on here

Still months to go on this.  Tilting the camera angle a little more so it's not just a full top down view.  Just putting a very slight angle on it (will still play like a top-down type of game). 

On 8/5/2020 at 3:26 PM, GrudgeQ said:

ACL Cornhole - some OG Intellivision love in the available boards. The bag physics (even that sounds dirty) seems really good in the video too.

 

 

You'll notice the bag physics are a big improvement over the last few times we've shown it.  Physics for this one is EVERYTHING.  Can't wait for folks to play it.  And again... FREE with every Amico system.  

Tommy, have you considered packaging the original version of any "125" game with the modernized recreation in sort of the "Blast from the Past" special edition?  Like getting the original Astrosmash embedded within the new version?  (Maybe a better idea for non-pack-in titles, but you see what I mean)

On 8/5/2020 at 3:29 PM, jaybird3rd said:

I think this game looks gorgeous, particularly this last screenshot.

 

One of the things I appreciate about classic games is that, out of necessity, the visuals were simple and clean.  It's now possible to create environments that are richer and more detailed, but beyond a certain point, I find that this extra visual "noise" can actually detract from the gameplay, and from the player's own imagination, if the graphic design is not carefully balanced.  Perhaps the people claiming that the Amico games "look like Flash games!" don't realize why this is a deliberate choice, but judging from these screenshots, I think that the developers have made those choices very effectively here.

Totally agree.

And again... what folks should find interesting is that Astrosmash, Battle Tanks & Cornhole (the 3 game screenshots shown) are all different from an art and style perspective.  Something for everyone.  Appealing to the non or casual gamer masses.  Not just retro folks and not just hardcores.  Much broader, much wider. 

On 8/5/2020 at 3:31 PM, haplo13 said:

Is this the first confirmation of a Bingo game?  I don't recall that being mentioned before (but I also haven't stayed as on top of all the recent videos as I had been).  Also interesting to see Flying Circus in the Favorites although we haven't seen any recent footage of that (again, correct me if I'm wrong).

Lots of surprises coming!